Book One: Air
by AvatarHana
Summary: It is strange that the reincarnation would be split into two great Airbenders, but it is what it is. This world will change. We must rely on the strength of our Avatars, but we must also rely on the strength of ourselves...
1. Departure

I breathed in and out slowly and closed my eyes. The breeze whipped my hair around, occasionally revealing the blue tattoo on my forehead. The adults here insist I shave my forehead to show my arrow, and wear it with pride. I do wear it with pride, but not out in the open.

Meditating was an essential part of the Airbending life. That, and I was stressed out. Monk Gyatso had traveled to the Western Air Temple to take me to Aang. He said that me and him had somehow become the Avatar. He couldn't explain it, but when we were there, standing in front of the people that bowed, Aang lost it and ran. I ran after him and stopped him.

He told me that being Avatar was too much to handel, that he had to get away for a few days. I didn't that was a smart idea, and I told him that I would go with him. We left on his Sky Bison, Appa. I didn't have my own. I hadn't realized that Aang had started to cry when we left.

"Aang?" I asked, opening my eyes when I saw him rubbing his eyes, his shoulders hunched. I crawled forward and sat next to him. He looked away. "Aang, what's going on?" I asked again. I touched his shoulder lightly.

"If we're the Avatar, or whatever, Monk Gyatso said we couldn't have a family. That being the Avatar would make it difficult. We have to choose, Annchi, I don't want to..." His shoulders began to shake slightly. I sighed.

"I think we could have both," I said. "It wouldn't be hard. When the world regains its peace, make a family. It shouldn't be so difficult."

He shook his head, and I walked back to Appa's saddle and lay down. Closing my eyes, I tried to picture my mother and father. Neither me nor Aang had known our parents. They had given us to the Air Nomads and left.

You know, it is possible to love and hate at the same time.

"Annchi, there's a storm coming..." said Aang, looking up at the dark clouds. The ocean below began to grow violent. I drew in a deep, calming breath and attempted to keep the waves subdued. But, because in my lack of skill, it didn't even look like I did anything.

The harsh wind began to whip my hair around. I stayed low on Appa's saddle, my eyes closed tightly. Aang was basically my older brother; he was born ten minutes before me. He looked back to check if I was okay every so often. Lightning began to flash, and Aang suddenly lost control of Appa.

"Aang!" I screamed. I began to fall through the air. My glider clutched in my hand, I searched frantically for Aang before I crashed into the water.

A white glow was all I remembered...


	2. Sokka, Katara, The Avatars

_**One Hundred Years Later~**_

"I did everything he told me to do...!" Sokka whispered. Katara shook her head smirking.

"Like you could do better?" he snapped angrily, glaring at her. Katara rolled her eyes, and they continued walking through the snow, looking for some food. It was difficult with a war going on, because food was scarce.

"Sokka, what is that?" Katara said anxiously, pointing at a large iceberg. Suddenly, she took Sokka's boomerang and ran towards the thing. She hit it, and then she and her brother were suddenly blasted back by such force that they were a good twenty feet away. A blue light shot into the air, and then disappeared.

Katara ran towards the broken iceberg, and looked inside. A big pile of fur, a young boy, and a small girl were laying in the ice. The fur appeared to be breathing. Katara slid into the bowl-like structure and shook the boy slightly. His eyes opened and he suddenly grinned, and then it disappeared.

"Annchi!" He jumped up and ran over to the small girl, and her eyes fluttered open, but only slightly. If you weren't up close, you wouldn't be able to tell that she was even breathing.

"Aang?" She looked over at the other two, and her eyes closed again.

"She was just fine days ago!" Aang exclaimed violently. He picked her up from the ground and leaped onto the huge pile of fur. It groaned loudly and raised it's head, looking around in exhaustion.

"Take her back to our village, she can get well there," said Katara. She looked at Aang hopefully and he nodded.

"Climb onto Appa and lead the way," said Aang. "Yip, yip."

Appa rose from the ground, and began in the direction of the Southern Water Tribe, where he hoped his sister would get well. If she left him, he wouldn't be able to bear it. She was a part of him that he could not lose.


	3. Southern Water Tribe and Prince Zuko

As I opened my eyes, and the unfamiliar things came into view, I sat up slowly. It hurt, and my head throbbed as though someone had hit me with a rock. I grabbed my glider, which lay beside me, and stood.

I gasped quietly at how much it hurt, and limped outside of the small tent. Some of the older men and woman stared at me, some in wonder, some in sympathy. "Where is my brother?" I whispered. My throat felt like I hadn't drank in over a hundred years.

"That bald kid? He left with Sokka and Katara. They didn't say where they were going..." said a small boy. I shut my eyes tight and held back the tears that were coming. It wasn't because Aang was gone for the moment, it was because my entire body felt broken. How bad had that storm been?

"The Fire Nation is here!" A woman shouted. People grabbed their families and moved back as far as they could, some pushing their children into the tents to protect them. An old woman pushed me behind them. I stumbled and fell to my knees.

A large ship crashed through the ice barrier of the village. An eerie silence followed as we waited for the inevitable. A door crashed to the ground, and Firebenders poured out, ready to fight potential threats. There weren't any; I wasn't a threat, how could I be when I was so weak?

A man walked up the the people of the Southern Water Tribe with arrogance so strong, you couldn't cut it with a knife.

"Where is the Avatar," he snapped loudly. The children hugged tight to their mothers, staring up at the Firebenders with fear.

"I am Prince Zuko, heir to the throne. Where is the Avatar!"

I stood, and lashing out with my glider, knocked him back a few feet. The people parted and let me walk through. I tried to refrain from limping, and worked a little, but he knew I was weak and in pain. A small smile crossed his face.

"You? You're a child, and the Avatar disappeared over a hundred years ago," he stated.

"I'll prove it," I said. And thinking to myself that I would most likely die here, in this village, I took a deep breath and swung my arm around and a gust of air followed. I swung it in the opposite direction, and repeated this movement. A twister appeared in front of me, and then I lashed out with both arms, pushing my body forward. It hit Prince Zuko and the other Firebenders, and disappeared.

I collapsed, breathing heavily. I pushed myself up with my staff, and glared up at Zuko. "If I go with you, will you promise to leave this village alone?"

He nodded. His guards pulled me from the ground, and bound my hands behind my back. I winced as they pushed me into the ship. I looked back at the village with a grimace. Aang would lose it, just like he had back at the temple, when he realised that I was missing.

"What is your name, Avatar?" said an old man. I looked up at him and frowned.

"Annchi. Why do you ask?"

He smiled and shook his head. "I would rather call you by your name is all, Avatar."

They pushed me forward, slightly faster than before. I wanted to ask them who that was, but I was afraid that they might strike me, or wouldn't tell me. I stumbled to a halt and leaned against the wall. I couldn't stay moving for long.

"Who was that man?" They didn't say anything. I slid to the floor.

"I'm not going anywhere, I promise. But I also promise to kick both of your butts with my hands behind my back if you don't tell me."

They looked at each other, and then at me. "That was General Iroh, Prince Zuko's uncle," said the slightly taller man. They pulled me up from the ground, and twenty more steps later, I found myself in a dimly lit room. When they cut my ropes, they shoved me in, and slammed the door as quick as they could.

I remained on the floor, trying to take deep breaths. I had to remain calm.

God I was hungry. I used the wall to push myself up from the ground, and stumbled over to the thin mattress that lay on the ground. I couldn't stop seeing Aang in my mind, looking around for me, thinking that I had died and the village had to bury me.

Tears streamed down my cheeks, and my body continued to ache in pain and hunger. The door suddenly opened, and in came the man named Iroh.

"What are you doing here?" I asked quietly. I was getting more tired by the second. He showed me a handful of fruit and a loaf of bread. I propped myself up against the wall, and took some of the bread. It would fill me faster.

"Don't hate my nephew, young Avatar. He only wants his honor back. He was banished from the Fire Nation for speaking out in a War Meeting," he said sadly.

"I don't hate him," I said, and then sighed. "I don't like him, but I don't hate him... Iroh?"

"Yes?"

"I have to leave here. I have a brother, he's the Avatar as well. Don't ask, I don't understand either. He'll lose it if he finds out that I've been taken."

Iroh nodded. " I understand."

He stood and left. I didn't hear the door lock this time.


	4. The Avatar State

I opened the door, and peeked out into the hall. It was empty. Maybe they thought I wouldn't escape. I ran down the hall, and then whipped around, blasting air down the left corridor. Three men were knocked to the ground. I smiled and continued to run as fast as I could.

Where was my glider? I ran up to the floor above, and checked all the closed doors. The last door was open, and when I glanced in, there was my glider. I flicked my wrist and it flew towards me. I clutched it in my hand, but not before Zuko had his around my neck. We were toe-to-toe, and his grip was firm.

"I underestimated your state," he said angrily. I grimaced, and pushed my staff hard into his stomach. He released my neck and doubled over, coughing. I ran again, this time using the wind to propel myself forward. As I ran onto the deck, the sun was going down. Aang was surely back, and probably freaking out.

"Stop her!"

I began to run again, but this time to the edge of the ship. Fire flew past my face, and one caught me, hitting my back and knocking me down. I screamed at the pain of the burn. It was agonizing.

And then everything became a big blur, but I heard shouts and exclamations of fear. I don't really remember what I did, but everything was clear to me as I heard him call my name.

"Annchi, snap out of it!" Aang said frantically. I blinked, and collapsed. "Annchi!"

"I'm okay," I whispered.

The girl, which I was guessing was Katara handed me my staff. "We heard your scream, Annchi. When we saw you, your arrows were lit..."

I could sense something else in her tone of voice. "And?" I said weakly, staring up at her. She grimaced.

"You were Firebending... and not like a basic Firebender. You took fire from nothing, Annchi, you were amazing!" Sokka finished his sister's sentence. I smiled, rolling my eyes.

"We need to get to the North Pole," said Aang. "But I have to do something first..."


	5. The Avatar State: Part 2

"We need to stop somewhere and camp for the night," said Katara. I opened my eyes, turned onto my side, and pushed myself up into a sitting position. I was still brutally weak, but I had enough strength to talk.

"How're you feeling?" Aang said, sitting beside me. I shrugged.

"All right I suppose," I said quietly. I looked behind us at the setting sun. It was beautiful, and it upsets me to think that while me and Aang were gone for a hundred years, the Fire Nation decided to destroy our world. It wasn't theirs to take. Nor was it mine or Aang's. This was neutral territory.

Looking back at the others, it was hard to think about all that has changed in the past one hundred years.

Appa landed on the shore, and I slid down his tail. It was the easiest and most fun way to get down from him. "We need to set up camp before the sun sets. How about Katara and I go find firewood?" I said. My brother nodded, and me and Katara began to walk away.

It was silent for a long while, and by the time we started to talk, both of us had arms full of wood. "Annchi, tell me something... do you remember anything about your parents?"

I shook my head sadly. "No. When me and Aang were born, they gave us to the Air Nomads. I'm not sure if they knew one of us would be the next Avatar, but I don't want to know. Any person that doesn't want their child is-"

I dropped my wood, and turned around. "What-?"

"Shh..." I whispered. "I think I heard something."

Holding tight to my staff, Katara moved in front, ready to Waterbend if she had to. She didn't know much yet, but she was getting better. I turned my back to her, but continued walking. I was watching for anyone that was following us. She was looking for anyone who was trying to attack. Something went up in flames a few feet away, and I whipped my glider in one swift motion, quickly putting it out.

"You can't hide here. You are seriously out-matched!"

"And you are seriously out numbered," I knew that voice. I remember saying that the arrogance that surrounded him was so thick you couldn't cut through it.

"Prince Zuko, what an honor." I said sarcastically, relaxing my tense posture. About ten Firebenders emerged from the shadows of the trees. I looked around me at all of them and grimaced. Grabbing Katara's arm, I ran towards Zuko. He instinctively moved out of the way.

"Hurry, we have to warn Aang. Zuko doesn't know about the two Avatars yet. I plan to keep it that way."

I stopped running, and pushed Katara, making her continue forward. Zuko appeared then and I smiled. "I may be a kid," I began. "But I'm not weak. I proved that when I escaped, didn't I?"

Zuko seemed to flinch, and a weird expression was on his face, but it was gone just as quick as it had appeared. He held back the others from attacking me. This was our fight, he said. He would finish me and regain his honor.

"Come on, Prince, what do you got for me today?" I taunted. It was how I fought. Airbenders ususally defend themselves and those they love, they won't fight often. I was an oddity at the temple. Though I didn't like violence, tricking and taunting were my way of getting my opponent angry; to the point where they had no self control...

"You're all talk, aren't you? You've no spark, but you're a Firebender. How strange-" I kicked out and thrust a strong wind at the flames he threw. He was fuming, I could tell.

"And what about you, huh?" he shouted angrily and I had to admit he was very strong. I dodged the attacks easily though. "You're just a kid, and though you're the Avatar, you've yet to master the other elements. And it's pathetic, because we all know you've been hiding for a hundred years!"

He lashed out with more flames, and I was losing focus. My hands were burned. "You-"

With as much force as I could muster, I began to form another twister. It was bigger and stronger this time. My anger was powering it, and I could sense something within me. It was strong, and it began to consume me. A bright light began to swirl around with my tornado, and though deep down I knew that I had put fire into it, I couldn't stop just yet.

And I found myself talking in the voice of all the other Avatars before me. "I am not pathetic, I was not in hiding! You speak only in fear of what you've lost and have yet to gain. You never had your honor, your path was never straight," I shouted. "You follow what others think is best for you, you don't have a mind of your own!"

With that, my anger dissipated, my tornado was gone, and Aang, Sokka, and Katara were standing behind me in shock.


End file.
